All major political parties in the state elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram have promised freebies and doles during the campaigns - ranging from laptops to smartphones, tiffin boxes to unemployment allowances.
ThePrint asks: Can Congress-BJP sway state polls with freebies or are they failing to read voters’ minds?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0MWgemqPWU
Luring voters with freebies is more democratic than hate, intimidation
Rasheed Kidwai
Visiting Fellow, Observer Research Foundation
Freebies are integral part of our political culture. Populist measures like two-Rupee rice, laptops and farmers’ loan waivers have had a history of turning around poll outcome.
Politically, it is perfectly democratic to lure voters with populist measures than hate, intimidation or discrimination. Some of the southern states who have a political tradition of freebies, have much better socio-economic indicators than their northern or eastern counterparts.
It is sagacity of voters to opt for one party or the other. Freebies, in some ways, are just a glimpse into...